London has been battered by 50mph winds that have felled trees and caused travel chaos. Powerful gusts swept across the capital as the Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" weather alert for most of the country.

Veteran actor Robert Hardy has been forced to pull out of the new West End play starring Helen Mirren as the Queen.

Hardy, 87, struggled on to play Sir Winston Churchill in Peter Morgan’s The Audience for a string of preview performances despite cracking some ribs in a fall.

However, he has now told producers he cannot manage eight shows a week and is standing down “reluctantly”.

He has played Churchill several times before, including in the 1981 TV series Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years.

David Peart, his understudy, steps up to the role from playing the later Labour prime minister James Callaghan while producers seek a replacement. Director Stephen Daldry said: “Robert is one of theatre’s great actors and for him to have accepted this challenge at his age speaks of his courage and commitment to the theatre.

“That he feels unable to continue is a great sadness to us all but we respect his decision and wish him a return to full health and strength very soon.” The Audience began previews on February 15 and opens formally at the Gielgud Theatre with a press night next Tuesday.

It is inspired by the private weekly audiences the Queen has held for the 60 years of her reign with 12 prime ministers. Haydn Gwynne plays Margaret Thatcher and Nathaniel Parker plays Gordon Brown, with Richard McCabe as Harold Wilson.